Rickety pedestrian bridges a danger zone

Rickety pedestrian bridges a danger zone

By Hera Diani

JAKARTA (JP): As the capital still lacks the pedestrian
underpasses which are commonplace in many other metropolises
around the world, crossing bridges are an essential means for
Jakarta residents to make their way across hectic streets.

There are 172 pedestrian overpasses serving hundreds of
thousands of pedestrians, and hoards of vendors, every day.

People continue to use them despite the risk of being mugged.

Unfortunately, many of the structures -- particularly those
built in the early 1980s -- are in poor condition, with
pedestrians risking injury if they fail to pay attention to what
lies underfoot.

The bridge near Blok M terminal and Plaza Blok M shopping
center on Jl. Panglima Polim is an acute example of the aging and
corroded bridges dotting the city.

Udar Pristono, the head of the Traffic Management and
Engineering Division of the City Traffic and Land Transportation
Agency (DLLAJ), which supervises the pedestrian bridges, said the
city administration's budget was limited.

He said the office prioritized the bridges most in need of
repair.

"For the 2000 fiscal year, we can only afford to repair 13
bridges with a budget of Rp 250 million," Udar told The Jakarta
Post in an interview on Monday.

The repairs will cost between Rp 10 million and Rp 25 million
each, depending on the extent of their damage.

The bridges to be repaired are located on several main
streets, including Jl. Cempaka Putih, Jl. Daan Mogot, Jl. Raya
Bogor and Jl. Tubagus Angke.

Udar disclosed that at least 26 aging bridges across the
capital needed immediate repairs this year.

The others, he said, could only be renovated next year with
new budget allocations.

"We, of course, don't wait until someone falls off from a
bridge to repair it," he said.

The pedestrian bridges in Jakarta were built using two types
of material: steel and concrete.

Udar explained that a steel bridge cost about Rp 400 million,
while the concrete construction entailed about Rp 950 million.

Repairs of steel bridges usually occur every five years or so,
except those located in the North Jakarta area, which is close to
the Jakarta Bay.

Upkeep is made every two years to three years in that area
because the air is more corrosive than in other parts of the
city.

Private money

Many new concrete and modern-designed pedestrian bridges went
up in recent years in the capital thanks to funding by private
parties, particularly businesses in the respective areas.

Most of the bridges are equipped with translucent canopies,
which Udar said cost about Rp 200 million each.

He said 33 of the 172 pedestrian bridges in the capital were
funded by the private companies.

Privately sponsored bridges are found in the city's main
thoroughfares, such as those located in front of Sarinah
department store, in front of Plaza Indonesia shopping center --
both on Jl. M.H. Thamrin -- near Jl. Blora, and in front of
Pondok Indah Plaza and Plaza Senayan shopping malls in South
Jakarta.

Udar said private companies were allowed to build overpasses
and use the structures for placement of promotional media within
a period of five years before the bridges were handed over to the
city administration.

"When the bridges are still under the control of the
developers, the latter could collect money paid by other
companies who place advertisements there," he said.

"Later, after the five-year period, even the developers have
to pay the city administration for their ads."

In addition to the privately funded bridges, at least three
structures here were built by a ministry and state oil and gas
company Pertamina.

Two concrete bridges on Jl. Dr. Wahidin and Jl. Dr. Wahidin 1
were financed by the Ministry of Finance in 1989. Both overpasses
are located adjacent to the ministry complex.

Pertamina constructed a concrete bridge near its complex on
Jl. Teuku Nyak Arief in 1996.

A more innovative pedestrian bridge is located among the
hustle and bustle of Mangga Dua shopping area. The private
developer built the bridge to allow rental of space by traders
selling different kinds of goods, particularly electronic games,
cellular phones and textiles.

Udar said the city administration built three new bridges in
the past two years, located on Jl. Pramuka, Jl. Senen Raya and
Lapangan Roos near Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta.

"This 2000 fiscal year, we are going to build two steel
bridges on Jl. Pemuda in front of Ibnu Khaldun University and on
Jl. Warung Buncit in front of Hero supermarket in South Jakarta,
with a budget of Rp 400 million each," Udar said.

Despite the hard work of the authorities and private firms to
build beneficial overpasses for pedestrians, the city
administration must deal with the perennial problem of vendors
who set up shop on the structures.

The vendors usually display their goods on mats covering large
parts of the bridge, leaving pedestrians to navigate their way
around them.

City Bylaw No. 11/1988 prohibits vendors from operating in
areas of traffic flow, including pedestrian traffic.

The authority to put the vendors in their place, Udar said,
lay in City Public Order Office's hands.

"But in this time of hardship, the monetary crisis, we have to
do it carefully," he said.

Several vendors on the Sarinah bridge said no official passes
were required for them to work on the bridge.

"I saw other vendors were on the bridge so I decided to trade
here too," said Rizal, a socks vendor who began selling on the
bridge about a year ago.

"But I've never been disciplined by an officer nor asked for
money."

Ujang, who sells CD holders, agreed.

"But if they did, or if someone takes my space, I simply move
somewhere else."

Udar lamented that his business was affected by people who
chose to jaywalk instead of using the bridges. (09)